Portage police to step up patrols to reduce crime and crashes on South Westnedge, based on data program

PORTAGE, MI -- Motorists can expect to see extra police patrols on the South Westnedge Avenue corridor this month.

The increased police presence is based on analysis of crime and traffic crash data, according to Portage Public Safety Officer Kyle Doster.

The city of Portage was recently awarded a $50,000 Justice Assistance Grant to introduce a program called Data Driven Approaches to Crime and Traffic Safety (DDACTS).

"DDACTS is designed to encourage law enforcement to use data to determine where trouble areas are, both in criminal activity and traffic accidents," Doster said.

Where high levels of criminal activity and traffic accidents meet are considered "hotspots." One of those locations is on South Westnedge Avenue, between Milham Avenue and Romence Road. The department analyzed data from 2009 through this month.

An increased police presence during "peak times" will begin in mid-December on the South Westnedge corridor, Doster said. If and when crashes and crime decrease, the department will target a different area.

"Sometimes you just displace the problem, you move it. But the criminal activity is often not as comfortable in a new area. Or sometimes we are able to dissolve it altogether," Doster said.

Doster said the object of the program is not to increase traffic citations but to change driver behaviors and deter crime.

"We are hoping to lower retail fraud rate, disturbance rate and traffic accidents," he said, adding that those issues are always on the rise during the holiday season.

DDACTS is especially valuable for law enforcement, given reduced staffing levels at many agencies.

"It's all about resource allocation," Doster said, "putting our resources where we have the largest issues."

DDACTS is used by law enforcement agencies across the country and has proven effective, according to Doster.

Aaron Mueller is a public safety reporter for the Kalamazoo
Gazette. Contact him at amuelle1@mlive.com or 269-568-3867.
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